The one thing that can turn your talent into success as a writer

The phrase “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work” is often related to sports. It also applies to sportswriting, and it’s one I live by.

My Sports Media Internship with Bleacher Report has further instilled that message in me, and through this internship, I’ve learned to incorporate it into every facet of every article.

Talent is what readers want—it’s what every aspiring sportswriter strives for, but it doesn’t always work by itself. That’s where hard work comes into play. Hard work serves as the power-arm closer coming out of the bullpen to save the game in the ninth inning.

Hard work is when you have to dig up important statistics to back up your argument. It’s about spending countless hours searching for the right information to align your opinion. It’s going beyond the standard and finding efficient and effective ways to aid your article. It’s also about putting in those grueling late-night hours to get the right statistics and taking pride in what you do.

Most importantly, it’s about never settling.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. It requires sweat and grit, but it’s what makes you both knowledgeable and credible. Talent may get you in the door, but working hard is what sets you apart.

Hard work helps define you as a writer. It’s the secret ingredient to success.  Pair talent and hard work on the same line, and you’ll have the recipe for greatness.

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Tyler Poslosky is an intern in the Winter class. Follow him on Twitter @TylerPoslosky.

One Thing You Need to Know is a series in which we ask our interns to write about just that: One thing they’ve learned in the B/R Sports Media Internship that they would pass along to other aspiring writers.